"Thank you Baylee!"

Santa be seein' you be'in bad. Oh yes, Santa is watching, ALL.OF.THE.TIME. However, for some reason the threat of Santa doesn't do much to tame down kids in elementary school. Heck, even an elf that moved places around the room each night didn't do much except cause a stir as kids came in the room and instantly looked around to find him. Mind you, the last few days before break, "he musta falled asleep cause he didn't be moved." Whoops, I may have forgot to move him those last two days.

Anyway, these three weeks following Thanksgiving break have been chaotic to say the least. It involved two weeks of instructional time and one solid week of testing. Because we have to give 5 tests, I tried to get started a day or two earlier, but of course, even on Monday morning (our original start date) the tests were still sitting on my Principal's desk, not copied. UGH, I was annoyed. We were already pressed for time to finish and that just added to the annoyance. But of course, it all worked out. The last week we were frantic to practice the Reindeer Pokey together to prepare for the Christmas program on Friday morning. Lo and behold we found out on Thursday at about 1:15 that we ALSO had to participate in the Thursday evening performance. We sent a note home, figured a few kids would show up and we would just do the best we could. Well, I ran to wal-mart after school and forgot to pick up lipstick to use for our red noses. We were a hurtin' unit. About 20 kids showed up, acted a fool in my classroom before the program, then got on stage and acted like they had no idea what was going on, thank you Kindertots, much appreciated. Friday's performance was much better.

18 kids and counting...not the tv show. Thanks to actions started last year by my co-teacher, I inherited shopping for families (kids) that would most likely not be able to afford Christmas presents this year. My principal and two other workers at school came up with the list of the families who needed the most. Thanks to two GENEROUS donors, I started shopping on Monday for 13 kids. In school on Tuesday I found out that my list had increased. One family had two younger children of non-school aged that couldn't be left out AND that family also stayed with another family of 3 children, therefore my list was up to 18 kids to shop for. I did the best I could to finish on Wednesday with the help of my roommate, we found shoes, shirts, uniform pants, socks, hats and mittens, not to mention toys for kids that were late additions. It took us almost as long to check out as it did to shop, thank you Wal-Mart. Following the Christmas program on Thursday, Lois and I spent a couple of hours wrapping and bagging presents by family and FILLING my jeep. As soon as kids got to school on Friday, I put in Home Alone (a debatable Christmas movie) and left my class with an assistant while another co-worker and I ran around town delivering the bags. It was truly heartfelt to see/hear the reactions of some of the families. As I left one house, the mother (whose daughter is in my class) could be heard outside screaming.

It's disheartening to realize that there are no Angel Trees around there...there are probably too many people who would qualify and not enough people to buy for them. It's sad to realize that many families are getting government assistance for one reason or another, while families with a working parent are making even less. While I am in a tough situation when it comes to debating government assistance, living in a rural area that literally LACKS jobs/factories makes it hard for one to even attempt to make a living for themselves.

Enough of that topic...let's talk about the selfless and generous people in this world...ie the topic of this post, "THANK YOU BAYLEE!" I think I've mentioned before, but my friend Sara's cousin Baylee raised money last year for my classroom. She is in 4-H and thought it would be a good youth leadership project...and her mom is a teacher in their community in Iowa, so education is incredibly important. Baylee raised money at her school and through her church. Soup dinner donations went to my classroom, she raised money by talking to people at her school, and got donations of school supplies. Baylee and her mom filled 24 NEW bookbags with books (at least 3 in each bag), construction paper, pencils, crayons, glue, scissors, erasers and a pencil sharpener. I acquired them this summer and made the decision that I would wait until Christmas to give them to the kids, mostly because about half the class would come to school WITH school supplies. But by Christmas, those that had bookbags might already be in store for a new one. Anyway, this HUGE box was on my table with a blanket over it on Friday morning for them to stare at. We made a big to-do about it and pulled the blanket off. They were smiling but not overly excited. THEN I opened one and pulled out the books (gasps) and plastic bag full of crayons, scissors, erasers, etc (more gasps), and finally I pulled out the handful of pencils (screams!). They were OVERJOYED. Each child got their bag and headed to the rug to take a picture. When they were released to their seats all I heard was, "muh ward, look at this!" "muh ward, we read this book!" "muh ward look!" "muh ward look!" OMG, they were in heaven. Because we were waiting for lunch at that point, I let them watch a movie and color on paper I had on their tables, I had to keep fussing at them to put their new things away, not to use their new crayons, take that stuff at home, etc. One boy didn't watch ANY of the movie, he read each and everyone of his books with SERIOUS intensity! Let's just say, Baylee.frickin.rocks :) Did I mention she is in the 5th grade? Love her!

**I'm going to try and make the video work, the kids are showing me what they got and saying thank you to Baylee, even though some of them were forgetting her name! PS..I was at the height of a cold and lost my voice that day, please don't judge! **

Well...Christmas is almost here and Minnesota has gotten snow everyday I've been home...amazing :) Although we don't have to travel on Christmas, I pray the roads aren't too bad and you are able to spend the holidays with the ones you love.
Gosh, I LOVE them :)


"Merry Christmas, thank you for the bookbags!"

Phat Pants

Happy December! I'm not sure if I was exhausted last year at this time, phew! Once again, I'm recapping the last few weeks but it's what I do. November came and the countdown started. We were more than ready for a break. Of course, on our last day we spent the afternoon in a healthy extravaganza carnival, eating nachos and chips while coloring pictures of fruits/veggies and playing tug of war. Not only is everyone already nutso because you can almost taste break, but lets add the rest of this hoopla to it. The very last activity we did was a fruit walk and multiple kids went back to the room bawling because they didn't win. Well, one little boy was so distraught that he went into the room and threw a folder and tipped over a chair with insane force. Don't worry, he got the first swat on the behind in my room with those actions. I told him I would just take him home after school for those actions and talk to his mama. He cried for the next 20 minutes knowing full well what it means to his mama for him to show up at home in the car of his teacher (he witnessed it first hand with his brother I had last year). ON bus duty, I told his brother (L.G. from last year) that I would take him home, so he went sprinting to my room not caring he was staying after school when break had officially started. They helped clean up and get ready for post-break class. Minus the earlier temper tantrum, these boys are the sweetest children on the planet. IN my car, I asked if they were both buckled up, even though I was pretty sure my ginormous duffel bag was on the middle seat belt. However, L.G. pushed his little brother back and instantly buckled them both into his seatbelt. Instantaneous heart melt. Down the road, L.G., who was struggled in first grade, says to me, "this is a jeep." I responded quite surprised because my vehicle is known to everyone as a "truck." I asked how he knew that and he simply pointed to the steering wheel as the source of information. I felt like a proud parent in that exact moment, I taught that child how to read. He didn't have to sound it out or blend it on his arm, he read it. At that moment, I thought I was a lifer in Moorhead.

Thanksgiving break was wonderful, enjoyed a lovely jaunt through Dallas, St. Louis and then Minneapolis before finally making it home. Got to see lots of friends, family, eat way too much food, did some shopping, put off school work, the usual. I'm not sure how the week went so fast or how I came back from break exhausted? It could have been from black Friday shopping at 3:38 a.m. with Jeannie. She wanted a laptop from Walk-Mart, so we went to Blue Earth. Instead of being a huge waste of space, I decided to find a line to stand in as well...so I bought myself a new tv. No worries, it'll be stuck in Amboy until I can figure out how to get it to the Delta. It was a fun morning though...we really did get some great deals. I bought a few movies for $2....seriously cheaper than renting it! I can't say I would necessarily need to do that every year because I never NEED any of the big items, but for one year it was fun.

Last weekend we went to Memphis at the crack of dawn on Saturday because my roommate Jenn ran in the half-marathon there. Lois and I drove around downtown catching her at a couple of spots on the route, it was fun, minus the early morning. We all went back to our hotel and napped that afternoon then ended up laying in bed watching tv for our evening rather than venturing down to Beale St. We decided it was too cold, it was like 30, really, too cold for going out!

The past two weeks in Kindergarten have been CRAZY! While I was leading my Kindergarten/pre-k learning team today for professional development I was telling the first year teachers that they are GOING to be crazy, come on, it's December, SANTA IS COMING! Over break I bought my class an Elf on a Shelf. It's a book with a creepy little elf that "shows up" on your shelf after reading the story. The story is that the elf flies to Santa every night and tells him what he saw. Then when he flies back, he sits in a new spot. Therefore, each evening I have to remember to move the elf before leaving school! Really though, it doesn't make the kids behave, they are just too excited to function at this point. I will admit that I am doing a better job of being a Kindergarten teacher this year, we have made Santa pictures and made reindeer last week and have a few other activities that they will make and take home for Christmas.

Starting first this Monday morning are our 9 weeks test. We have to give 5 tests, and a large chunk of them have to be done individually. The reading/language test is like 6 pages, woof. It's going to be a stressful week getting tests done, doing Christmas like activities and practicing the reindeer pokey for the Christmas program on Thursday evening/Friday morning. And we have short days on Wednesday AND Friday. Who made this bogus schedule???

I decided that during ANY down time or typical instructional time, I was going to let my assistant give them squares of colored paper and let them trace their hand and cut it out. They LOVE to trace and cut things and we practiced our hands the other day with mild disaster, but it'll keep them occupied!! I have 140 pieces of paper ready for them. Perhaps I'll make a wreath with the hands, perhaps I'll just send them home, who knows?!

Yesterday two of my boys got in trouble in the lunch line for talking. I asked what was going on and the girl in between them says, "he called you fat." Well, I'm pretty sure this was fat with an F and not ph (phat). Haha, I laughed. I shouldn't laugh. But I'm one of few people at my school that doesn't eat fried chicken on a weekly basis. I WAS wearing two pairs of pants yesterday, but I'm pretty sure that had nothing to do with it. Ugh..maybe I'd better start training for a half-marathon too!!

I cannot believe Christmas break is in 5 VERY short days! I'm so excited, but nervous for everything to get done on time. I put in a request with a worker at my school to make a list of kids that were probably not getting Christmas presents this year. It's sad, but I haven't seen an angel tree or anything around here, probably because too many people need it. However, for kids in my class or kids I had last year...I want to make sure they get something.

Better jet, Lois and I are headed to a couple of parties tonight...we had a LONGGGG day of professional development today. But it was surprisingly a really good day and TFA provided some fun social events/dinner following pro sat. It's things like that which make me really love the delta and this sometimes harder than life situation.

I'll give you a dollar if you let me pull that tooth out?

La la la lots to write about...I even made a list. Except, I kept it in my purse for two weeks...whoops. Clearly that list has grown.

I hope your November's are as amazing as mine has been! I think I'm just so overjoyed that October is over with. Phew. Don't worry, I started Christmas music on November 1st...approximately 45 days after Jeannie asked for my Christmas list...you tell me who is early in celebrating the season?

Hm...let's rehash the last few weeks...we had our Halloween party and even though we were in competition with a jerk-wad from Clarksdale trying to show off his huge house by having a frat-style delta halloween party...we still had a lot of people show up. My roommate and I weren't overly intense in our costumes as hunters, primarily because we found nerf rifles at Wal-Mart and that basically captivated ALL of my attention that evening. This thing is insane, it even drops the bullet shells...why do they make things like this for kids?! Anyway, we had a fun night and clean up really wasn't THAT bad the next morning.

We FINALLY made it to the pumpkin patch! We rescheduled our trip at least 3 different times and it kept stinkin raining. However, we went...on November 3. No worries, the kids still got pumpkins, ha. Let me preface by saying that it wasn't nearly as thrilling as last year because we didn't go on the haunted walk (due to so much rain the woods were a mess). However, the kids still got to chase lightning, the baby pig who grew up A LOT over the last year and definitely slowed down with age. However, I was the only one who came close to catching him :) We also go to go on a boat ride aka "alligator hunting" and feed goats, sheep, a cow and see a llama. He even took a couple of kids into the llama's pen and they got to see her spit. It was gross and awesome at the same time. The kids got to pick if they wanted to ride on a couple of ponys or a horse and be led around a huge field that had inflatable games they could play on, a haymaze to go through or get their face painted. At one point I looked over and saw one of my favorite rolly-polly kids, Kayla, leading a pony with Ashley on it. Clearly this pony was going to follow whoever was walking in front of him but he stopped for a second, long enough for Kayla to say in her most demanding, high-pitched voice, "Ashley, tell your horsie to GO!" I was the only one who almost fell over from laughing so hard!

Last week we also had to sit in on a conference call from a woman in Wisconsin telling us how to decipher the results from this assessment that the school purchased called Star Early Literacy. She kept referring to printouts that you could send home to "show mom and dad" or "allow mom and dad to help..." or "point out to mom and dad..." I think I was the only one who sat there thinking that a lot of my kids don't live with their dad, don't know their dad, don't ever get contacted by their dad even if they see them around town. Family structures here really disturb me and make me disgusted at the number of children who do not have a solid home lives.

A majority of our Wednesday's are 60% days, meaning students leave at 1 and we have professional development. Last Wednesday, professional development was planned for grades 2-5, so Kindergarten and 1st grade teachers were sent to the school library to "learn what the librarian has." Basically it was a place to send us to fill time. However, after our 20 minute tour, we sat in the library and chatted for 2 hours. It was so wonderful. Except, we spent a significant amount of time discussing my semi-recent increase in my fear of snakes. Everyone had ABSURD stories to share which made me even more disgusted and paranoid! Clearly no one knocked on wood that day because the next day in our hallway a snake had gotten in. Of course I didn't go look at it, but my co-teacher saw it slide UNDER the exit door and then turn around and poke its head back in before going out for good. oh.em.gee. No more words need to be wasted on something as disgusting as this...

Mrs. Barner teaches Kindergarten with me this year...we had a conversation about teaching phonics the other day. The conclusion of our conversation led to wondering if the achievement gap in Mississippi could be attributed to a southern drawl. Think about it...kids cannot read/pronounce vowels correctly, mainly because people teaching them don't say the sounds right either. Hmmmm...it's all in good fun, we had a good laugh! The other night I went out with Mrs. Barner and her daughter and some friends to a clothing store that was having an open house...let me tell you...it was like my grand entrance into the life of a southern bell. I felt so out of place! Luckly I was dressed in school clothes still....because otherwise I would not have been dressed anywhere close to the 9's the way these women were. And I stood out like a sore thumb with burnette hair and minimal make up. Haha..it was so fun though. I love some of the people at my school and the fact that we're attempting to hang out and socialize. Our school has NO camaraderie, partly because it's not instilled or wanted by administration. typical drama....

HUGE thank you to grandpa and grandma Davis for the new DVD/VCR player that now inhabits my classroom. Soooo exciting to use it and not have all of my tapes eaten!!

I don't really write enough about my kids...let me tell you why I wear a side-part. I have grey hair. It's okay, I've faced that fact. If you don't believe me, I can prove it. However, we can attribute my side-part to select kids. You heard enough about one last year...this year is turning into a mildly similar story. He is mad 70% of the day. Like pouty/annoying mad (not throwing chairs or anything like that). Ugh, it drives me nuts. He doesn't do his work at centers because he cannot get along with other kids in his group. If he gets pulled out of his centers and has to do an independent center, he generally slides all of the picture cards across my floor, kicking his shoes off and yelling. No real reason for it...just being annoying. His mama comes in everyday after school to find out what color he is on. Generally he goes home to granddaddy for a whoopin. No lie, he sometimes deserves it. Twice this week he was pouting and mad and told me "I'm gonna tell my grandad to come up here and shoot you in the eye." The second day I took him to the office, he got paddled. He thinks he can say anything he pleases and has NO respect for me or the directions I give. It's progressing rapidly and he'll go to the office until he figures out that he is 5 and doesn't run things. Let me just say that my assistant has way more patience for him than I do, even though the other day he was mad and almost kicking her because she was sitting next to him. Ugh...I don't remember ANY child acting like this when I was in elementary. Does this happen elsewhere? I often get so caught up in the way things are in my daily life that I forget things aren't like this everywhere.

I'm doing a much better job of tracking my kids to find out which skills we have mastered and what we need to work on...all working towards making at least 1.5 years of growth in reading. Today I tracked their results from an assessment I gave on Friday and we are now at 80% for phonemic awareness skills which is HUGE! These skills are segmenting syllables, identifying beginning sounds, ending sounds, middle sounds, blending and segmenting CVC words, (consonant vowel consonant words), and a ton of other skills. Last year I didn't track these things, I had no idea how well or poorly some of my students were doing. This year I know EXACTLY which subgroup of students I need to focus a lot of remediation on and which skills to be doing. It's such a great guide and saves my sanity on a daily basis!

Only 6 more days until I am headed O.U.T of the Delta for Thanksgiving break. So.flippin.excited! We are in such need of a break and I love the fact that the semester flies by at this point. And because I am getting more and more disgusted with little things, like ants in my room. I went to record their homework the other day and no lie, killed 20 ants that had made their way into and around that stack of papers. Why. And why do parents send their kids to school with teeth just hangin' out of their mouth. Shoot, they're going to be running at recess and the darn thing is just going to come loose...it's that bad.

Okay, this post is getting out of control with all of this random junk. Better go build our bonfire before it gets too dark..we're going 2 for 2 on bonfires this weekend! 6 days until I leave 80+ November weather for Minny-snow-ta. AHHHH...cannot wait :) :) :)

38 years old when this class graduates high school, ick

Blogspot has me irate right now...I typed up an entire post today during my planning period in my e-mail and it won't let me copy and paste..WTF??? So, now it's 10:45 p.m. and I'm retyping this stupid thing...AH-NOYED. Here was the original post...

Ahhh...I realize I haven't written and we were supposed to go to the pumpkin patch...well, no worries, I'll DEFINITELY post right after that field trip, however, we cannot go until stops.frickin.raining. Ugh...we were scheduled to go last Thursday. Then it was forecasted for 90% change of rain. We canceled it and postponed it until Tuesday (today) (only 10% chance of rain). Well, by Monday, Tuesday was at 70% chance of rain. UGH...Wednesday is 10% but we have a short day so we can't go that day. Thursday is 70%, BLAH. Friday is 40%, we're shooting for Friday, it looks like we're going next Monday and the kids will get pumpkins on November 2....worse things have happened I guess?

To add to the chaos that naturally ensues around here...we had Dad's day last Friday. Holy crazy. Turns out we had 150 dads show up (um..guarantee they've never had that many dads in there at one time) to the program at 10 a.m. Well it was over around 11:30 (just as we were lining up to go to lunch), however, ALL of the dads could go get their kids, their step kids, the kids that live with them, kids that live with their cousins, their nephews, their neighbors, practically anyone I guess and eat lunch with them. The line was DOWN the hallway, like all the way to the end. We couldn't eat until the dads and rando kids went through and it was TOTALLY straight out of a snickers commercial, "not going anywhere for awhile?!" We didn't eat lunch until 12:30 and by then only 7 kids hadn't eaten. What a hot mess! However, with our schedule being messed up, we did a short math worksheet and took a long nap. It was Friday, we deserved it (and I needed to get work done...sorry achievement gap, not closing you much today).

Also, a random plea...if you know of anyone wanting to get rid of an old VCR I would TOTALLY take it. The one I have in my classroom is eating tapes like they're hot cheetos. This sounds mundane, however, anytime we can't go to the computer lab or library (due to rain aka ALL the time) we stay in the room and watch VHS movies. This VCR is making me nervous and mildly stressed out that I might have to start giving them work to do during my planning period...eeekk!

Anyone, don't know too much else. Hopefully by Friday we will be boarding the bus for the pumpkin patch. Then Saturday is the halloween party at our house...anyone want to join? My roommate, Jenn, and I are going to be hunters and carry nerf guns. I really only want to do this for the nerf guns! my other roommate, Lois, can't be a hunter because she's Buddhist and killing animals is like killing a relative in their second life...I don't know? But she's going to be the zodiac and read fortunes or something along those lines. Anyone, find a cheap flight and come join in the fun? I usually don't get excited about halloween....but this weekend looks like it is going to be really fun!

Tidbit for the day...D'Marco STRUGGLES with letters and sounds and has a HARD time telling me the beginning sound for any word. However, he CLEARLY knew that the birds we were counting in math were parrots, "cause that's what they be lookin like." Then later we did a sounds worksheet and I was explaining the last picture to them and before I said "sub" he shouts out "that's a submarine." Really child? Who are you? And why can't you tell me that you hear /s/ in that word. Oh well....

PS...I feel a migraine or the flu coming on....taking off Thursday to catch up on life. Ridiculous, I know. But I need to write a research paper and you better believe it's not getting done this weekend. Plus..I've got all sorts of grand plans for getting my eyebrows done, an oil change, getting party stuff, cleaning my house, organzing my office, going to the post office....all things I CANNOT do during the week. So...my first order of business is that darn paper...then the rest of the stuff. I'm SOOOO excited. Feel free to call and check in on my progress...would love to hear from you :)

Over and out girl scout.

Case of the Octobers...

I know, I know...it's been a month. I'll do better, I promise. Luckily, I sit in grad class every Tuesday, so now I take the liberty of writing things down to write in my blog since there is really no reason to listen to the discussion happening around me. Speaking of which...is it ironic that I am getting a masters degree IN education in one of the worst states educationally speaking? 35% of high school students drop out before graduating in Mississippi and yet we're getting our masters degrees here. Something doesn't seem right...

Highlight/lowlights of the last 4 weeks of my life...
(-) instead of giving 9 weeks tests, I was told that during my planning period I needed to be working on filling out basic contact information/shots/SSN for each child on their cumulative folder. Apparently cumulative folders trump 9 weeks tests when you know there is an audit around the corner.
(-) Speaking of 9 weeks tests, one of the days I had no assistant, a crabby class and it was raining which equals being stuck inside all.stinkin.day. ick.
(-) it's getting cold here. Our house has been 60-65 the last couple of days, although I think it gets colder than that at night...I know, it doesn't seem bad, but when you go outside and the temperature is the same as it is inside, you know there is a problem.
(+) The colder temperatures have greatly reduced the number of steroid-induced mosquitoes around these parts, particularly in my bedroom. I have been seeing more cockroaches though :(
(-) Cody and I broke up...stop asking when you're going to get to meet him.
(-) I ask my class how they are doing each morning when we get to the rug. They have to give me a variety of responses using different vocabulary. One day I asked them if they want to know how I am. One kid instantly responded, "sad." truth. I started to tear up in front of them, what on earth, no rhyme or reason for it, I was fine. Don't worry, it didn't affect them, they were still bad for the rest of the day. No compassion I tell you.
(+) Last weekend we got out of the Delta and went to stay at Mike and Gretchen's house (even though they were on vacay) and went to the Mississippi State Fair...if you know me, you know this was a big deal. My roommates and I did a ride just like the Power Tower at Valleyfair, which is kind of sketchy to think that this was a carnival and therefore none of the rides or objects were stationary. It was so fun though!
(+) Guests: I had two nursing students in my room observing and assisting one day. The next day came and I knew my assistant was going to be out so I asked my principal if the nursing students were coming back, just to gauge how I was going to fill 1 1/2 hours on my own with everyone doing the same thing (they need to be split into groups). Well, she said no they were not coming back. Anyway, they were on the rug listening to me tell and illustrate a picture about snakes and I was modeling how to add text to our picture. All of a sudden we had 3 visitors knock and ask if they could watch, they had heard good things yadda, yadda, yadda. Sure, I figured they WERE nursing students, just dressed differently. Well, two things...my kids were FRICKIN amazing and thank goodness I did not talk to these women whom I thought were nursing students. Awhile after they left I realized they left me a note, turns our they were from TFA visiting the Delta. They are the institute design team and the core group of people planning the Delta's first summer institute (teacher training thing that I had to attend in Houston). Ohhh...emmmm......geeeee. I almost screamed, what are these big wigs doing here and in my room? Talk about nerve-racking, thank goodness I was not forewarned, I would have been a total nervous nelly. I went to a session about working at institute this weekend and the woman leading it told me I looked so familiar, after I said that she had been in my classroom a few weeks back, she just said, "Oh yeah, I knew that I recognized you, you did wonderful." Wow, my horrible-prosat-induced-mood was just lifted.
(+) Our pumpkin patch/farm trip is THIS THURSDAY. WHO WANTS TO COME?!?!?! This year they have a new haymaze, so I can't guarantee the haunted walk, but I can only hope for it. My camera will be out and ready either way.
(+) Finally booked my flights for Thanksgiving and Christmas...I love Minnesota....
(+/-) Tomorrow is a teacher "work day." We do not have kids, but we sit at school from 7:30 until 4 while parents come in to get report cards and talk about progress. I sent home notes with 4 kids requesting URGENT parent conferences because their student was getting one or more F's. Sorry, had to.
(-) It's just after 8 p.m., I wasted most of my day putzing on my computer and reading the hilarity on mylifeisaverage.com If you're bored, you should check it out. I feel awful, I took my temperature and it read 96, ugh, clearly that doesn't indicate a fever. I only ate a poptart today and am not hungry, something has to be wrong. My head is throbbing. WebMD told me nothing, blah.

Clearly the list I just made has more negatives than positives, i.e. the Octobers. October is the month that traditionally feels the longest. No end in sight. Children are restless, uninvested, crabby, needing a break...clearly I feel the same. It doesn't help that it has been raining for the last 3 weeks straight. Swear to it. The sun came out briefly on Friday and I made everyone look out the window because we haven't had a day that was NOT overcast in weeks.

Since everything has been negative in this post, I'll add one more. Friday was Ruleville's homecoming. I walked in the parade with the elementary cheerleaders from my school because they need extra help in these homecoming parades (Indianola's and Ruleville's). We found out after the parade that a high school senior girl was shot and killed by her boyfriend who then shot himself. Word was spreading during the parade. Students were gathering at the school, the high school football cheerleaders came over to out house since my friend is their coach and they needed to get out of there for awhile. It broke my heart, kids should not have to go through that. No one should have to go through that, but especially kids. The football game was somber, not packed, not enthusiastic; this town is about the size of Mapleton if that helps put anything in perspective.

Okay...I'm out, sorry for the depressing post. But after Thursday's trip to the farm/pseudo pumpkin patch, hopefully I'll have some great stories! :)

Sunday (no)Funday...

Whoever coined the term "Sunday Funday" was not a teacher. Sunday's are not fun for me, ever. In fact, I've recently discovered how utterly lame I am becoming. I spent ALL of Friday night getting work done. That included staying up until 12:30 (wayyy past my bed time) to grade, track, plan and organize all of my stuff for professional saturday the next day. And now it's Sunday and I have to spend the entire day studying for a test in Curriculum Development...snooze...I have to keep telling myself that this grad school business will be worth it in the end, because right now, I only have 1 night a week open and spend most of my weekends doing work. Well betcha wanted to hear me complain about that, huh?

Quote from the kiddos...Kayla counting aloud for me, "one....two...three...September." "No Kayla, September isn't a number." "August." "What comes after 3?" "B." "okay, you can go back to your seat." This was last week. This week (Friday) the two kids that cannot count past 3 made it to 10 with some assistance. They are SLOWLY starting to learn what number comes next, it's about time, we count no less than 15 times a day. One funny note...one of the kids that cannot count past 3 was listed as proficient in math according to the district test they were given weeks ago. Um...I think something may be wrong with your results. He is OBVIOUSLY minimal in math. This week is another district testing week which means 3 days of no instruction happening. However, this is the last time that Kindergarten and 1st grade have to deal with the district tests and curriculum, HALLELUIAH!

So, while the leaves are changing colors and the nights are getting cooler, Mississippi is getting DRENCHED. Literally. It rained ALL last weekend...to the point where I was cringing thinking about how wet it was and how the playground was not going to dry out for a month. That makes me very unhappy. Well, Friday night I woke up a couple of times before my alarm and it sounded like ship loads of water were being dumped on the house. I guess that's what 10 inches of rain sounds like. Anyway, the streets were flooded. There was at least a foot of water in some portions of our street. Don't worry, I know you're not supposed to drive down a flooded street, but I had just watched a cop car come through it and he said it would be fine! Well, Ruleville didn't have school, parts of the school had water damage. I swear to you, all I want is a rain/snow day. Here's a link to an article from the Cleveland newspaper. I live on Floyce.
http://www.bolivarcom.com/index.cfm?event=news.view&id=D4E327C5-19B9-E2E2-67FB4DF991DFD6EB

Write it on your calendar...September 20, Jeannie's already asking for the Christmas letter...after I just vented about hating my lack of free time. mehhhhhh. Don't worry, I'm only writing this while my soup cools....

Uh, an update about my class....I have 12 kids that have mastered all of the letters we have covered and I have 7 kids that have hardly mastered any. My class is either doing REALLY well or REALLY poorly. I only have 3 kids in the middle. Pretty unusual, but means that I'm now going to have new centers for those tactile and kinesthetic learners...someway, they'll learn it, I hope. My principal has spent the last two weeks cleaning out our book room which was in complete disarray and soooo jam packed you couldn't even want in there. So, each day someone brings more CRAP for us to have in our classrooms. I asked her one day when the new cabinet was coming to keep all of this stuff in, she laughed; I was being serious. I mean, thank you for all of the mix matched social studies workbook/leaflet pages. Can we get some copy paper so I don't have to keep buying my own? We are going on week 7 and we still have not gotten ONE package of paper. Soooo annoyed. We finally got math curriculum 2 weeks ago, so we could stop copying those work sheets. And now last Wednesday we got the phonics program, so there are a few more pages we can stop copying. But really...who gets their phonics program almost a quarter of the way into the school year? The first 9 weeks test are right around the corner...meh (again!).

Okay...back to studying, the day is getting away from me and this stuff isn't memorizing itself.

Here's to rain and recess-less school days.

Fleeing the fleas

I am updating this because my mother is a nag...apparently her only hobby is reading my blog, someone please help her out :) Kidding Jeannie...

Speaking of Jeannie, Happy belated Anniversary to Bruce and Jeannie on the 5th...I'd tell you how many years, but I've been trying to figure that out myself...28 I think.

Oh cripes, what on earth do I have to tell you. Well, being that I haven't updated since the first week of school...I guess I SHOULD have a lot. Let me just say...I said this before and I'll say it again, 2nd year is SO MUCH BETTER. Cripes...I'm not walking on rainbows and sunshine each day, but I don't hate my life or bite my lip incessantly each day. My class has some naughties....but overall, their biggest problem is that they are like little babies thrown into a swimming pool and expected to swim. They are SO, SO, SO, SO (I'll say it again) SO L.O.W. Like, absurdly low even compared to the other class. This all happened by chance, no one really knows much about these kids coming into Kindergarten, but I ended up with a batch of kids that are behaved for the most part, but just don't know a darn thing. The school administers a test on them three times during the school year to assess progress and growth and pinpoint who needs to be tutored and have interventions done and whatnot. Well, out of my 21 kids, 12...TWELVE children are considered at risk or some risk. This is not good. Like, fa real, not good. The other class has one at risk and three some risk students. Oh my gracious. No wonder so many of them cannot write their name and are constantly getting caught staring out the window during phonics, they are lost beyond all belief. I have been pulling my hair out trying to figure out what half of them did during an ENTIRE year in headstart. If they aren't writing their names, learning even the first letter of their name or practicing counting, then what the crap are they doing for 9 months, SERIOUSLY. The other day I made two kids count my fingers (only to 5) at least 10 times...couldn't do it...needed help with each number beyond 3. This is my job. This is my job. This is my job. This is my job. If I keep repeating it to myself I'll eventually get over being bitter at headstart and parents.

Happy Labor Day weekend! I love SMU but equally love not having to go to school or work on Labor day :) I spent all three days doing work, lame I know. But I had put off A LOT :) We also spent something like 6 hours cleaning our house from top to bottom...it was a chore, tell me tell you! I was thinking about it today and couldn't remember if I left the house all weekend. But I realized I had....I set off a bug bomb on Saturday morning and had to leave for two hours. We have a flea problem. No, we don't have any pets. Just some fleas. WTF. We think they were in a rug that is in our living room and just hatched because they all of a sudden became a problem. Oh well...set off the fogger and probably will do another one tomorrow (yes...there are still some around). Bahhh...

Let me tell you about another pest I hate...you guessed it...ROACHES. This afternoon, Lois and I went to our old house to FINALLY move my fire ring and firewood. Well...we packed everything up and realized we had left a box of paper out still that we should get rid of so the new renters don't hate us. As we are packing the paper into the garbage, monstrous roaches starting running out of it. I mean, these are like dinosaur sized. Lois ran towards the house screaming, I was screaming at the top of my lungs halfway to the neighbor's house...we were a hot, hott mess. Finally, we changed our pants and realized we have to do something about it. Don't worry, we really didn't wet our pants...so, Lois took a stick and started spreading out a few pieces of paper at a time across the cement to rid those pages of roaches, when they were clear, I would pick them up and put them in the garbage. We literally did this for the entire box of paper and probably for 1/2 hour. You might be thinking...what a couple of dumb girls, just get over it. Well ma'am or sir...there were NO LESS than 40 roaches coming out of that box and some were the length of my index finger, chew on that. grosssssssss us out. Anyway...we finished doing that and were headed back to our house...I pulled in the driveway slowly as my jeep was full of firewood and all of a sudden Lois's car comes flying by me on the side through the grass, I was like, "boy she must be in a huge hurry." Well, no, she wasn't...she had just gotten rear-ended and just ENDED up in the yard. She was fine. The car only has minor problems to the bumper, the other lady left her headlight in the street...but whatever, it was her fault. She tried to tell the police officer that my trunk door was open and Lois didn't have hear blinker on. Well, my backend WAS in fact shut and Lois was stopped waiting for me to turn. This lady needs to get over it that it was her fault and get ready for her $500 deductible.

Ahhhh...rewind to last weekend....the amazing,wonderful weekend that I spent in MINNESOTA!! I flew out of Jackson at 6 a.m. and as I walked through Memphis to catch my connecting flight had the BIGGEST grin on my face because I was going to the STATE FAIR. No lie. In fact, by the time I got to Minnesota, I was practically running people over on the movable walk-way trying to get to the car. Jeannie, Julie, Ali and Sara picked me up, even though I was screaming and all :) We spent a GLORIOUS day at the state fair filled with food, animals, Joe Mauer on a stick, 4-H wonderfulness, and other fair fun sans H1N1. Then it was to Amboy for Ingrid's wedding...another wonderful, mildly chilly event. It was beautiful ...in fact, I personally think *RED's song should be posted on youtube...if it ever makes it there I'll post a link...oh.my.frickin.wonderful. The reception was fun but also bittersweet knowing I had to turn around and head back to the 'sip the next day, when I would have loved to stick around and enjoy the rest of the weekend. Congratulations to Sheldon and Ingrid though :)

Okay...I'm posting a blog and Cody's doing school work...I better be productive...Happy September...got out the long-john's yet? Bet you'll need 'em soon!! Hahaha....it was only 85 here today, brrrr ;)

Peace and pests.

PS...don't worry, I went the first 12 days of school having a crier EACH and every morning. And it wasn't even the same kid each day. Oh my gracious :)

PPS...my kids took their "district tests" which turned out to be ridiculous and didn't even assess the skills in the way you are supposed to teach in kindergarten...don't worry, we bombed a lot of them. I'm not concerned...if the skill is developmental, I'm not going to push them. We're going to read by the end of the year...I'll promise them that.

Muh Waaaaard, he took my cray-on.

First week survival, YES (fist pump, Napoleon Dynamite style)! I should go back to last years' and see what kind of chaos I was feeling at this point. Let me tell you....last week, I was EXCITED to go to school. My class was GOOD. They stood hip and lip. We walked in a mostly straight line. They know we don't want to hit people who are on our team. Wh, wh, wh, what? What is going on in my life and who are these children because this is not what I was anticipating and this DEFINITELY isn't anything that happened with the last class that I had for 9 whole months. There was a big TFA gathering on Friday night hosted by a community member and all of the first-years would vent about how awful their first week was and then ask how mine went and I truthfully didn't want to tell them. It was so good! Although today was a bit more of a dose of reality...they were worse today and it was the first day that kids legitimately had to stay in from recess and finished on not so nice colors at the end of the day. Let me specific though...I do not have any of the severe behavioral issues that I dealt with last year. Today they were just chatty. We'll work on it.

Here is the lo down of children in my room, once again good luck with the names: Floressa, Autoria, Jaylon, Tyla, D'Marco, Braxton, Kayla, Tyra, Michelle, Tryen, Cedric, Lebruhnze, Jaquavious, Kenqualon, Zydrell, Maya, Jordan, Arian, Ladarious and Antonius. It's not too bad. They are all sweet in their own way. One of them, who is definitely one of my little buddies has the shortest attention span on the face of the planet and is just ALL OVER. He means well, he really does. He also talks like he is younger than 5 years old, as in my quote.

I am going to hope that this year my students will know that I mean business. However, I'm not sure how to convey to them that I can't stand criers. Today was day 6 of school and someone has cried EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. I just wave them to my assistant...I can't handle it. Sorry, I have 20 other students, not going to baby this one because they "want their mama." My assistant is good about it though...she's MUCH sweeter than I am :)

AND, one of the best things...I was able to finish my lesson plans lickity-split last week (good thing because I didn't get started until 10 p.m. on Thursday night) because I already had them on my computer or in hard copy. That seriously rocks. Now let's talk about what doesn't rock. My kids are going to be tested next week to see if they can use blocks or other manipulatives and count forward to 20 and backwards from 10. What a mess, we are going to bomb that part of it. They have just not had enough practice or time, but don't tell the school district that. They are giving us our objectives 3 week at a time and then are coming in to test our kids (ALL kids in the district) to ensure that we are doing our jobs. I have no had anyone in my room, even though the curriculum team was at school last Thursday and Friday. I consider that a blessing, they are HARD on people and basically write evaluations telling our best teachers (the ones with the HIGHEST state test scores in our district) that they are doing a terrible job. Whatever....we'll see if I get visitors this week...I could probably bet my bottom dollar on it.

Another big event happening...I signed up for grad school classes today. Yeah, yeah, I know, I really hate grad school. But I can get my masters in elementary education basically free, so I'm going to start it. I'm taking two classes, one is in-class the other is online but I have a friend also doing the same one. So, besides teaching a class of 21 kindergartners, leading weekly meetings for first year teachers in Greenwood with my roommate, taking two classes, and helping train all TFA Kindergarten teachers in the Delta...ugh, my blood pressure is rising. It'll be fine, our weekly meetings are over in October and the monthly learning team is semi-planned out already. I'm doing a solid job at making my second year of teaching not as easy as it should be, but it'll pay off.

One quote today, I asked my kids to show me their teeth (aka smile) and one kid goes, "I got me some gold ones" he meant silver, I think, I didn't see any gold ones in his mouth but who knows. Last week was the first time that I could honestly say, "I love my life" in the delta and what a great feeling that was! Let's hope that my class and the rest of this who-ha doesn't get to be too much, but I think it will be fine. And GUESS WHAT ELSE?! I am going to be at the MINNESOTA STATE FAIR IN 10 days....WAHOOOOOO!!! :) :) :) How could I NOT love my life then! Ingrid's wedding in t-12 days :)

PS, it is the GREATEST feeling in the world to see the kids you had last year and have them smile and wave all sweet and such saying, "hey Ms. Ward" so calm and quiet...because rest assured these children were not calm and quiet last year. I had one mother just call me to talk about her daughter's home work....she told me the daughter I had last year got a note sent home saying she was rolling her eyes at the teacher. HA, that's the kid I know! Gosh I love them...when they are not in my class :)

Lastly...it's hot as sin here. Humid as all get out. The first day of school is not the day to learn how to wear liquid eye liner. And my kids notice my jiggly arm fat. Gosh I love them.

Motivational speeches

Well, I figured since lsat year I wrote a post the morning of my first day of school...I'd better keep up the tradition. AND because the feelings from last week's professional development is inconsistent with how I should feel on my first day of a new school year.

First off, see.ya.summer. Where did you go? It was fun while it lasted I guess!

Like I said, last week we had professional development as a DISTRICT for three days. We were able to get into the school on Monday to work on our rooms, mind you it was the first day we saw our classrooms whereas other people in our district were done and ready. I created the motherload of all tornadoes in mine, unpacking as many boxes as possible and trying to create a more functionable classroom that looks semi-organized. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday were spent at district meetings, last year we had one morning of district meetings. Because the MCT2 test scores came back failing and because we have a new superintendent who is all about rattling people and making changes, this was just another to add to the list. Don't get me wrong, some of the sessions were good and I wish I had them last year as a new teacher. However, during the opening speeches/welcome on Tuesday morning, our fearless leader graciously told us things like, "if you do wrong, I will do everything in my power to destroy you." Or, "if this is not the job for you, get out. Get out." The philosophy is to create fear and scare us into doing our jobs rather than making us WANT to do our jobs and help these kids pass the test. Just so you know, my school is the only one NOT failing or in the at risk of failing category. However, in the eyes of the state, each school doesn't get a ranking, the district gets a ranking as a whole.

So, the new changes...they implemented a district-wide curriculum. I have a guide that tells me what I am going to teach for the first two weeks of school The district is going to come in on the 25, 26, and 27 of August and test my students. This is not a bad plan, however, the people that wrote the kindergarten guide really don't know kindergarten. My kids need to be able to count forward to 20 and backwards from 10 WITH manipulatives. Counting is hard enough at first, much less being able to do one-to-one correspondence. Some of my kids struggled with that up until March. They also need to be able to generate rhyming words and identify beginning sounds. Um, really? Two weeks? Did I mention that they have to match all uppercase and lowercase letters. However, when most teachers teach letters they teach the sound at the same time, it just makes sense. Don't worry, teaching letters/sounds is not listed for the first two weeks. I'm venting about it, but not too worried just yet. Their main purpose is that kindergartners should be reading and being able to do all of these other skills, well, my students were reading by the end of the year and because I know what is going on, this year should be even easier to make that happen and get them further. Our goal is to be reading on the middle of a first grade level by May. Lastly, we are all on job-improvement plans, which basically means if you mess up this year you're done.

Well, after those motivational speeches, I felt so ready to get into my classroom and teach my kids and enjoy the school year because I know it was going to be better than last year...etc.....wait, that is sarcastic. I realized quickly that fear does not motivate me, it only makes me nervous. Thursday, after district meetings, we had a community walk in which we went into our school communities, in the areas which students lived and passed out fliers encouraging them to register for school. Well, not only is this mildly dangerous, wait, scratch the mildly, it IS dangerous. My co-teacher was offered drugs, and just hoped that it wasn't a student's parent.

Okay, onto Friday. Our 2nd day of working in our rooms. We had the morning to get ready, thank goodness. Went to lunch. Then came back and ended up having a 4 hour meeting. OMG. I was wicked stressed by the end just knowing that my room wasn't ready and I didn't want to stay at school all night. However, I threw the last bits together, figured that my desk would never be truly organized so I wasn't going to fret about that and called it good. I left that night NOT feeling prepared for the first day, I should not feel like that! Everyone else got rosters of their students, Kindergarten did not. We were told that because there are not two full classes registered, when they come in on Monday a body will just be put in our rooms and then a roster will be created after that. So, the kids in my room today, might not be the kids I have this year. OMG. I freaked about this a bit. That also means that there is no point in learning my classroom rules and procedures because they might end up in the other room with different procedures. I can't give them lunch numbers, write out table nametags or assign bookbag places until a roster is created. The real kicker is that when they come in today, many of them will just come in on their own without parents and they aren't going to know how to spell their name so I'm going to have to phonetically spell it (write it out it sounds) on a label and stick it to their shirt, which in turn is going to make me look like an idiot because chances are it won't EVEN be close!

Ahh...this is why I spent all day yesterday working on school stuff but not being generally excited about school. I shouldn't feel like that. I think part of my problem is that because I'm a 2nd year, I have no excuses for getting it wrong or not having things under control. Everyone says it is SO much easier your 2nd year, I just hope I am not the exception. Time to take our ritual first-day-of-school picture!

Welcome home, let's get to work.

Back in the Deltaaaaa...

Wow, hard to believe summer is o-ver. :( Where is an emoticon with tears, for real. Summer in Winona was in one word: fabulous. Minus the grad school-sitting-in-the-library-everyday-part. However, I submitted two drafts of my thesis and her last comments told me I am just about in the home stretch. WAHOO!!! I also managed to spend some time on the lake, in Amboy, Mapleton for Abby's wedding, and generally loving life in Winona. I came back to the Delta early because I am leading the Kindergarten Learning Team this year (for all Kinder TFA teachers in the Delta). However, after getting back I learn that I am also doing pre-k as well. WHAT?! If my kids went through a solid, useful pre-k program, do you KNOW how much my life would ROCK?! Someday...

So...I got back to the Delta on Monday (14+ hours driving), surprised Lois by tearing into the house as we were talking to each other on the phone, hopped back into the car to go to dinner with Cody, then out to the bar to see some other 2nd years and meet some of the new first years. I was dead.ash.tired. But thus began a whirlwind week. With learning team on Tuesday, then hosting new corps members Tuesday evening, then driving them all over Ruleville/Cleveland areas looking for housing, by Thursday night I felt like a first year all over again. HOWEVER, the new corps members are frickin' wonderful. The Ruleville/Cleveland people are so much fun and it's going to be so exciting to have more people in this area. TFA went on overload in the Delta this year and expanded BIG time. My corps had roughly 100 people. This year they brought in 280 new teachers. We expanded into new school districts, towns, areas of the delta...it's pretty fricking amazing. The motto presented to them at induction was, "welcome home, let's get to work" because there is oh so much work to be done here.

The week finished with our big move on Saturday. Lois and I decided to start packing at 10 p.m. on Friday night...whoops. Luckily we have AMAZING friends (who are male) who came and helped us move all of our furniture and big things. We couldn't have done it without them, no joke. After moving 3 blocks away into the Ruleville Manor (homestead for the guy who started Ruleville), we both decided we hated moving. We have so much stuff. This house is fully furnished, which is awesome. However, we did a lot of work to move the old stuff (hide old pots, pans, dishes, etc.) in order to make room for our new stuff. Luckily we have a HUGE attic that is full of furniture, Lois and I go up there multiple times a day thinking, "hm..I could use a nightstand or dresser or headboard/bed frame" and go up to the attic and have our pick of things. I wish moving/settling were always this easy :) We each have our own rooms and our own offices...we also have a spare bedroom, hint, hint, come visit...

So...other things happening...school starts in two weeks from today. Funny, until the other day we all thought our school district was starting on Thursday the 6th....now it's not until Monday the 10th. Oh well. I've been busy with Learning Team sessions and trainings and trying to help other people have the things they need to get ready for the first days of school. This has forced me to get myself ready at the same time.

This past weekend we left the Delta for a mini-vacay. What? I lost my tan in the week that I had been back...had to make that up somehow. Cody and I went to Pensacola and stayed with his friend Matt who recently moved there. We spend Friday and Saturday at the most BEAUTIFUL beach EVER and left with wicked tans. I thought my face felt funny on the drive home, a bit like I imagine botox feeling...sure enough, the entire thing peeled yesterday and I am refusing to go out in public for the rest of the week. My skin is an eery combination of tan and then stark white. mehhhh.

This coming weekend I'm meeting up with the crazy cousins in Missouri (Matt, Kayla, Gini, Tony, Nicki, Tim). Oh goodness, I don't know if I'm ready for them. Then again, I don't know if they are ready for a true bean bag tournament, pictures will be posted...maybe even e-mailed out if you are lucky :)

Enough of the lame blog...I really have nothing interesting to stay. It's been raining all day and I'm still sitting in my bed with my laptop pretending that I'm going to start getting some work done. Tomorrow I'm going to try and get into school to start setting up my room aka killing roaches and spiders that have taken up residency in my room for the summer. Oh the Delta.

Peace, love and pecans.

Milo and Otis theme song...youtube it...*love*

Oh.my.GRACIOUS....we made it. Where ON EARTH did this year go. I'm finished. Done-zo. First year of teaching is in the books...what???? Sara made me update, but refused to make an outline of things I need to cover, so it'll be sporadic.

We finished our three+ weeks of testing....thank goodness that part was over. It rocked to finally be able to do our nine-weeks test whole group (meaning I don't have to administer them one-on-one). The last week of school was spend preparing for our "transition program." A whack title, but no one asked me. The night before, I was stuck at school for an extra 90 minutes printing off certificates for this program. We had promotion certificates all signed and ready, but since not all students were being promoted, they obviously couldn't get them. Lame. I figured we would be a hot mess, as my class normally is for ANY type of program. That morning they came dressed to the nine's. It was only the 2nd day all year they didn't have to wear their uniform...and most of them came to school with their "hair did." Did I mention that more than one of the boys had light blue polyester multi-piece suits...wicked cute!

Anyway, we started the program with our kindergarten poem. I had the letters spelling out Kindergarten and each of them shared a big letter with a partner. They would go to the microphone and say their lines. Such as, K is for kindergarten....hip, hop, hurray. Well, we were doing alright, until we got to the last E. My two youngest, most immature boys were in charge of that letter. Well, when it was time for them to walk up to the microphone, it looked basically like deer in headlights, they totally balked. I thought, oh.friggin.cripes. What are we going to do. Well, I was sitting in the front row, so I went up the steps and coaxed the first one to the microphone telling him that I would say it too. This is the child who doesn't talk, so clearly I anticipated this going smoothly. He takes my hand, we walk to the microphone and together say, "E is for excitement..." The crowd is laughing hysterically, mostly because of the boys that refused to say their line, partially because I'm up there in a dress and heels reciting the same lines as 5 year olds. I take him back to his spot and have to coax the other one. He cried most of the morning (didn't like his outfit I guess) and didn't necessarily need my help, but walked to the microphone and in the crabbiest, maddest voice EVER said, "this.year.we've.had.some." which caused everyone to laugh again, but at least he was done. Oh goodness, get me off the stage, out of these shoes, and away from an audience making my kids cry. However, that was our final hurdle. We survived. We were done.

So....the last couple of days were spent cleaning and packing. Blah. I left school on Friday (the last day) not feeling as joyful as I anticipated. But a bonfire that evening was totally necessary. I spent memorial day weekend sulking about not being on the lake...and grading/doing grad school work. Tuesday was our last teacher workday...it should be listed on our yearly calendar as "day from hell." We had to be there at 7:30 a.m. only to sit around and pick our noses until everyone else finished their grades. Report cards had to be printed, verified, signed. Cumulative folders had to be finished, verified, immunization records updated, and stickers put in with grades. Let me tell you, none of this was even STARTED to be printed or verified until 3:30 p.m. I left at 6:10 and was one of the first 5 finished. ANNOYING! However, I literally screamed the entire way to Indianola, so frickin' excited to have survived and put the first year behind me (I was light-headed from screaming so much!).

Two days later....up at 5 a.m....16 hour drive to Amboy. It wasn't even awful (except for the moment I realized I forgot my fishing poles in Ruleville)! Granted, I'm thankful for having friends call me and having the internet on my phone ;) I'm not a fan of Missouri though...I will put that out there. It's been a whirlwind this past week....Amboy for a couple of days, Ingrid's bridal shower, turning in my 4th and final grad school contract, procrastinating starting my thesis paper, and L.O.V.I.N. my life in Winona. It's so beautiful here....enough to get us up at 6:15 a.m. to power walk around the lake. If you talk to me this summer and I don't have my thesis done, yell at me. If I'm sitting outside and haven't been to the library yet, yell at me. If I have been fishing and playing golf but not working on that stupid paper....feel free to drop kick my butt to next week.

Headed to the cabin for the weekend....fishing, swimming, laying out, reading books, eating smores and hotdogs over the campfire and eeeeekkkk'ing about how much I love life :) :) :)

sig g's and freezees

Wow, I feel funny. Like not normal and definitely not myself. School is over in 2.5 days. I made it, almost. I'm sort of in a whimsical state, like not quite believing that it's possible, but also not wanting to wake up from that dream. We finished our math nine-weeks test yesterday and the reading today. We technically are supposed to give them on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday....but because we have kindergarten and they generally take longer, we got to start early. No one needs to know how early we finished though. Don't worry, we don't sit around and watch movies all day. Last Wednesday my principal decided we were going to have an awards program for the lower grades (K-2nd) and the kindergartners were going to do the program to show what they learned. It's like a graduation, without calling it such. I think we call it a promotion program or transition program, I forgot. Either way, we have to learn a song/dance and do some type of performance to show "what we learned." Well, my kids are going to be doing a Kindergarten poem, which they started learning today. Whoops...they each have one line written on the back of a big card and the cards spell out the word kindergarten. I'm not sure how many will freeze up and either refuse to talk or forget their lines, either way, it'll be a hot mess just like every other performance we've done this year! But, they get to wear their "Sunday Best" so you better believe I'm going to have my camera battery charged!! oh.em.gee, I'm nervous for our "performances"...if we hadn't been testing ALL of last week and most of this week we could have spent much more time practicing...however, that CLEARLY would have made sense.

We had a Pre-K transition meeting today for all parents of future Kindergartners. About 8 showed up, typical. I'm not sure if the invitations went out, nor do I think phone calls were actually made about it. However, each parent got a sweet workbook to work with their children this summer along with a pencil box of triangle-sided crayons, pencil and scissors. Pretty sweet...just for showing up. Because the other Kindergarten teacher is leaving next year, parents want their kid in my room because no one knows what the next teacher will be like. I just keep thinking, "HA, you say that now...." However, rumor has it that they hired a teacher that was here 3 years ago...she's of the motherly-age....and apparently wicked good. Perfect.

In terms of TFA and my first year of teaching...I'm D.O.N.E! I had my end of year meeting with my program director tonight. He was wicked excited about the reading levels my kids finished on and how they did on their big TFA math test. Our class average was a 92% for meeting kindergarten math standards. And we finished the year with a 1.37 growth in reading, thus meaning we grew more than one year in our reading...or so they say. This leads to the term significant gains or "sig g's" as Lois and I refer to it. TFA is all about having corps members make "sig g's" in their classroom because it means your students are learning more than expected in a typical year. I don't know how they figure out if you actually make "sig g's" but I guess I did. I just wish I were more confident in a handful of children moving on to first grade but seeming low in reading and math skills. What can you do at this point though. I'm retaining two students and will request getting one of them back. The other one can go into the other classroom and I'll be happy with that! It's mean, but he's a baddddd little boy. He still sucks his fingers, he doesn't talk, yet he is just bad. He takes pencils from other tables, he takes books from other kids, he doesn't do his work, he doesn't pay attention, he doesn't do ANY work unless I'm standing over him, he just needs to mature and stop writing jibberish all of his papers! Blahhh....done venting about the only mostly-silent child in my room...

Was in Winona last weekend to celebrate the sissy that graduated! It was soooo wonderful to be back! I really love that place...in case you hadn't heard, and if that's the case, are we really friends!? Basically flew back into Jackson in the middle of a tornado warning, life is sweet. Last week it rained ALL of the flipping time. And if it wasn't raining it was 85 with 90% humidity...FA REAL. I gave up running after I felt like I was going to die one afternoon. Friday is our last day of school, my room is getting pretty much cleaned/packed up. I do a lot during school!! Tuesday we have to come in to do grades and turn in things...sounds simple but I heard last year they were at school until like 7 p.m. Lame. Wednesday I'll pack and Thursday I'm going to ATTEMPT to drive the entire way from Ruleville to Amboy! Wish me luck and PLEASE call me SOMETIME during the day :) I wish my computer had auto-type so I could just say what I wanted it to type....then grad school would be done and out of my hair...it's all due on the 31st...EEEEEK!! How can the official start of summer (Memorial Day) happen without being at the lake or grilling or eating smores or sitting outside with freezees...instead I'm going to be pulling my hair out in human development crap. While doing so, maybe I'll go burn some student papers and toast some mallows....the.life.

Lastly....I'm in DESPERATE need of some Kindergarten and first grade workbooks to use for homework packets for next year. I have a few, but they won't get us through the year. The ones we used this year are being returned to the teacher they were borrowed from. Anyway...if you find any that are cheap but have enough activities/problems on the page to make it worth copying for my students...please let me know.

Miss you immensely and see you soooooooooooon :) :) :)

In Mis'sippi the rain dudn't drain, them skreets be flooded.

Well, here's another round of quotes from my class....I wrote down one today and realized how many I had stuck in a book and figured I'd better share them soon....

Me: read this word "cash." Did you hear the /sh/?
L.G.: Ms. Ward, when I grow up, Imma make me some caaaaash.

L.G.: Oh my Lord!
I look at him...
L.G.: I didn't say that, I didn't say that!

J.W. reading: Can the ______. It can't get up in there. Can the elephant get in? No it can't.

P.H.: I like Ms. Ballard
Me: That's fine, so I do I, she's my friend.
L.G.: No, he said he go with Ms. Ballard!

I.W.: Ms. Ward? You got make up on your eye? Close your eye, lemme see. (I closed me eyes) YEP!

unknown: Ms. Ward, Tyler just said s o o
Me: so? who cares, sit down and read.
L.G.: na-uh that's a curs word!

Supposed to find the beginning letter of nail. T.W. says, "it's an l." C.C. says, "that ain't no L, it's a dog-gone N." This child doesn't speak.

Talking about the underground railroad, Me: what were those people called?
J.T.: Chinese!
(oh.crap)

L.G.: Ms. Ward, you getting real, real flat (patting his stomach) (for a second I thought he said fat!)

Me: Is it raining?
D.W.: it fit to
translation: it's about to

"say what?"
Me: say what? say what? (like on Hannah Montana)
ALL kids: OOOOOHHHHH! (they totally think I'm uncool and don't watch Hannah Montana!)

L.G. gives me a hug in line for lunch.
Me: aw, you're so sweet."
L.G.: I'm a lil love bird

J.T.: I went to the doctor
Me: why?
J.T.: I was throwin' up!
Me: OH NO!
J.T.: I stayed there 'bout two weeks and came home with toys. They gave me two baby dolls.

T.W.: There a livin' room?
L.G.: Ain't no dog-gone livin' room up in here, it's uh classroom

Me: Don't even pretend to have something in your mouth
L.G.: I'm eatin' my tongue.

Muh Ward, I got uh cricket in my stomach, Ima mean in my throat. (aka a hiccup)

(acting like I was crying) it's so sad someone wrote in my book. I wonder who did that?
T.W.: probly erylast one of 'em

T.W.: I ain' nothing but a cockeyed!
Me: WHAT?
(after lots of questions…)
T.W.: you know, one eyed cockeyed, one not.”
Me: Oh, can you see me?
T.W.: Yep, an I can see the wall too.
Me: Oh? Can you see the book? Good, let’s read.
T.W.: Ahhhh, you be stressin’ me outttt….

L.G.: (supposed to be looking at the word wall) I need to go outside ‘n teach my brudda how to swing—as he stares at the pre-k kids on the playground

(reading a book about a girl sitting out on her tree house) “man, that girl be sitting there and get real, real black. She gonna be a black choca chip.

L.P: I can’t eat orange no more cause I throwed up
L.G.: I can’t eat bread no more
Me: Yes you can, you’re telling me a story (aka a lie)
L.G.: No I’m ain’t
Me: Say no I’m not.
L.G. No I’m ain’t

T.W.: Muh Ward, if yo teacher has a baby, you hafta help her (RANDOM)

I.W.: (during rest) Muh Ward, muh sista had a baby
Me: (not listening very well) What? Your sister?
I.W.: Yea, cause she be havin’ sex wit a boy…

Me: use white in a sentence
Kids: your board is white. You white.
L.G.: Sydney’s white
Sydney: I ain’t white, I brownnnnnn

M.R.: (after talking about my “truck) Muh Ward, you must got no kids (I guess I don’t get our connection here?)

Student: what that right there? (pointing at my neck/chest)
Me: Sunburn, cause I sat in the sun yesterday. Your skin gets darker when you’re in the sun.
L.G.: nu-uh, I’m BLACK.
T.S.: My cousin get like that?
Me: Oh yeah? How come?
T.S.: Cause he white

Me: (saying the sounds in the word hippo)
S.H.: Hippo
Me: Good, with an s on the end we would say….
S.H.: hungry hippos
Me: it word family, what letter could you put in front
L.G.: B?
Me: okay, write the B first, then i t.
L.G.: B E T?
Me: No, we’re not watching BET.

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Well, I'm back in Winonaaaaa....oh my gosh, I love my life. I flew out yesterday to spend a couple of days here for Cassie's graduation. Thought I wasn't going to make it, I had to fake a migraine yesterday to leave school early and catch my flight, then I broke my favorite watch....stupid karma. Then I got to Jackson only to realize my flight was delayed 15 minutes, no big deal. However, the screen said I would be getting to Dallas/Fort Worth at 7:10 and my next flight was at 7:15. Don't worry, I got to Dallas at 6:55 and trucked it to my gate making it to the final boarding call. PHEW! Sara GRACIOUSLY brought it to my attention, "you realize you hardly have time to make it to your flight, what about your bag." Well, lo and behold, my bag was at baggage claim in MSP before I even made it there!! Cassie and Joe picked me up (and brought me a delightfully organic sack lunch) and we made it to Winono-where by 12:15!

Hard to believe there are only two weeks left of school...and I am taking two days off, whoops. We spent all week testing and will spend all of the next two, testing as well. They're in kindergarten for cripes sake, but whatever. Is it real...did I really make it to the end of the school year? Wait, rewind that, we haven't made it yet.

Forgot to write about a big event in Kindergarten a couple of weeks back....we took a trip to the natural science museum in Jackson. It was an adventure. It was also the day after Easter break. Once we left the Delta, we were going over the los hills (I think that's what they're called--they are rolling hills, but in the Delta we have pure flatness) and each time we went over one the entire bus would say, "OOOOOOHHHHHH!" Heck, we could have skipped the museum and driven over hills and they would have been happy. I had a few parent volunteers, so I gave each of them 5 kids to be responsible for...well some were very concerned about their 5 students, while others were not. Rude. Whatever...no one got lost. But just in case they did, I made them put a slip of paper in their pockets that said, "If found...please call this student's teacher at ....." Haha, it's like putting a tag on your dog, right?! I even have a picture of me HOLDING A BIG FRIGGIN SNAKE!! It'll be posted, eventually!

Okay, happy Thursday....sorry for all of the suckas that have to work for the rest of the week ;) Congrats to Cassie on finishing her undergrad...and running a pseudo-half marathon today! Pray for my cousin Rachel's surgery tomorrow.

Gotta jet....gonna go stick my face in the lilac bushes since they are BLOOMING (and we don't have those in the delt)!!

Roach races and rodent wars

Alright, alright, twice in the same week....don't get your undies in a bunch, it's just been one helluva week. Let me preface this story by saying that I REALLY dislike bugs or any animal in the house that does not use a litter box. Even at the age of probably 20 I would wake my mom up in the middle of the night to kill a spider in my room. I was sitting on my bed on Sunday night getting some work done when I thought I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. I leaned over, and sure enough saw something move again. Well, at this point it was moving so fast that I wasn't sure if it was a mouse or a roach...but it didn't appear to be black (like most roaches). None the less, I sat on my bed screaming for my roommate. I pointed in between some boxes, she started kicking them and I saw the rodent race around the outside of my room. I kept screaming and pointing, and Lois was always about two feet behind. By this point I am standing on my bed screaming bloody murder. Finally it runs into my closet/laundry room. To make a long story short, we have a brilliant idea to barricade the door with plastic tubs, rags, cardboard, tag board and a broom (thinking this thing couldn't get higher than 5.5 feet). We were on our way to Wal-Mart to get a trap (at 9:30 on Sunday night). Luckily Ballard had some sticky traps, so we saved ourselves a trip. We baited it with a peanut butter glob the size of the rodent itself and let it sit. In about 2 minutes we heard it squeal. Lois was brave and stood on the chair we had drug into my room and peered over our barricade only to see the mouse stuck on the trap. PHEW. Well, we are wimps...and she sort of practices Buddhism (aka she doesn't like to kill animals) so we decide to leave it for the night and we'll take care of it in the morning.

Morning: right before we are about to leave...we go to get the mouse and decide we could just leave it outside and let the cats have their way with it. We (Lois) peer over the barricade only to find....nothing. The mouse AND trap are gone. WTF...how is that possible. I spent the day in disbelief, thinking that mouse was in my room and probably in my bed. That afternoon our landlord called in a pest person who laughed at our barricaded closet...and told us those sticky traps will catch mice but they can also get out of it easily. He put out little bags that will attract the mice and somehow makes them so thirsty they HAVE to go outside in search of water and will die out there....perfect. However, less than an hour after he left, I was doing work (again on my bed) and I heard that friggin mouse eating at the bag...HE WAS STILL IN MY ROOM. Like a bad song on repeat, I screamed for Lois and we listened to the mouse eat the bag, both highly disturbed. I wanted to open the door and chase it out with a broom, but the chances of that being successful were probably slim to none with our luck.

Anyway...here it is 4 nights later, I'm still sleeping on the couch...I wear shoes AT ALL times...and the mouse ate from the bag two separate times but the bag hasn't moved since. I HATE MICE...and the idea of one in my room, ick, ick, ick, ick, ICK. My kids learned about mysteries this week, since the fact the mouse and trap were gone on Monday morning was a definite mystery (don't worry, we found the trap under the dryer).

To top it off, I went to school on Tuesday morning and saw a roach scamper past the door when I opened it. Sick...but it went behind some shelves so I wasn't too concerned. However, a few minutes later I walked over to get copy paper out and the darn thing was rushing after me. I turned and hopped to the rug and it followed....ick, ick, ick...how on earth am I getting chased by a ROACH. I BRAVELY took off a shoe and dropped it on him...luckily I had good aim. Normally I go to the cafeteria and get a kid who will come kill it for me :) I guess I'm getting to be a big kid, huh?!

Today was supposed to be our first soccer game, but my principal didn't want all of those kids in the damp grass...what? Have I mentioned that I coach soccer nowadays? Well, I'm not sure if you call what I'm doing "coaching." But, I don't know if you call what these kids are doing "playing soccer" either. I mean really they are in 1st-3rd grade...it's nothing major. My team is full of high-strung boys that I have to scream at to stop fighting over the ball...but I think once we start games they can run off all of that energy! These kids just aren't used to anything being organized...therefore when they try something new they go crazy with new found freedom. I really just want games to start because I know NOTHING about soccer and run out of things to do to keep them entertained at practice!

Don't worry, I made it until May 1st without turning on my air conditioning! Some teachers have had theirs on for several weeks. EVERYONE that came in my room yesterday complained that it was hot. Even the stupid people that come to test my kids for this pilot program about vocabulary. WHAT ON EARTH, I'VE NEVER EVEN MET YOU! Our therapist told me she couldn't breathe because it was so hot in my room...I think if I were wearing a pink wool suit I would feel the same. To tell you the truth, I'm afraid to turn on my AC for fear that a GIANT cloud of dust is going to come out of it. No.joke.

Quote from my kids referencing my sunburn on Monday, "muh Ward, what's that red stuff all ova yo neck?" Or "lemme touch that." PS, I saw my first armadillo the other day, granted it was dead on the side of the road, it was an armadillo none the less. PPS, the movie Steel Magnolias is much more real to me now that I have lived here...and much more witty than I ever remember it being! LESS than a week until WINONA :) :) :) :)

Happy May Day tomorrow...it will forever remind me of the Grover's and living in the country.

PS, sorry for those of you that read the Jeannie-un-edited version....who knew I had grammer critics....